Project M

Part 2

Olivia was in bed when Hammond got back to their rooms. The lights in the hall were dimmed to save power, the sound of machines rumbling could be heard from the rooms nearby as he slid open the door and quietly slipped in. The lead scientists were expected to reside close to their experiment in case of emergency. The others involved were close by too. Olivia and Hammond had their own room, shared but separate unlike the others. 2 in one room rather than six, one of the few benefits to being a lead scientist. 

The chill that surrounded Hammond faded as the room's warmth settled in, air flowing through his lungs easier for a moment and a gentle stab of relieve pierced through the fear. The scent of lavender sucked into him, the softer floral scent of Olivia's perfume mixing in to banish away the feelings of hopelessness and replace them with something very precious. A sense that he was home.

Hammond had been taught to have as few possessions as possible. When he resided in his own room it was often an empty shell compared to what this room was. This room had Olivia. Olivia did not worry about having too many possessions. She revelled in them.

The double bed, pushed against the wall forcing one of them to be consistently crawling in or out of the thing, had a quilt blanket. When the lights were on it was almost an obnoxious thing with slashing colours and strange patterns. It was also warm and well used. A silk scroll hanged on one the doors for the wardrobe, fairy tale books in piles, potted plants that did not see sunlight, and so much more littered every surface in the room . It was chaos and yet somehow made the atmosphere was breathable again. There was no room for outside in here, no room for work to cross over the threshold creating a sanctuary from the laboratory.

Hammond carefully crawled onto his side of the bed, trying not to wake the woman. He settled, looking up at the ceiling just listening to Olivia's breathing. Safety, a false concept but a feeling that wrapped around him tight. He failed. Or possibly Olivia had been awake. She shifted slightly and turned over to look at him. Her eyes shined in the darkness. "The subjects are sleeping well."

"I'm glad."

"Did you get your report in?"

"Yeah." Hammond turned on his side too and slid under the covers. He wasn't going to wake her up after all. "Got Fletch in trouble too. Headmaster overheard him venting to me about struggling with yesterday's punishment."

Olivia was quiet for a moment. "That's not your fault. I think people have been forgetting lately just how strict Headmaster can be." The tone in her voice sliced through Hammond's heart. A whisper of a reminder. Olivia had lived through a cull. She had been one of the first experiments the Headmaster had done. The results were more jarring as a result. It was more visible on her than on later subjects. She was unable to shift between human and hybrid, she just simply was. A human whose DNA had been morphed with that of a turtle.

"It has been a while, and god willing, it will be a while longer before we see it again,"

Silence met his words and he wished desperately he could see her face as easily as she could see his. A hand reached out and stroked his face. "There is no god in this, Rog." Stab and twist, that dagger was ice cold now.